The invention relates to a differential drive having a differential carrier which is rotatably supported in a drive housing and rotatingly drivable from the outside, having two axle shaft gears which are coaxially supported in the differential carrier, which have to be connected to axle shafts and comprise different pitch circle diameters, and having a plurality of differential gears which are supported in an axis-parallel way relative to said axle shaft gears in the differential carrier and whose teeth engage the teeth of one of the axle shaft gears and at least one of the further differential gears whose teeth engage the teeth of the other one of the axle shaft gears and which, by means of their tooth heads, are slidingly supported in axial bores of the differential carrier, with first differential gears covering the axial length of both axle shaft gears and comprising two different toothed regions with different pitch circle diameters, of which a first one engages the axle shaft gear with the greater pitch circle diameter and of which a second one engages at least one of said further differential gears and with second differential gears covering the axial length of the axle shaft gear with the smaller pitch circle diameter and, along said length, engaging both the axle shaft gear and at least one of the first differential gears.
Differential drives of this type are known from DE 41 26 866 A1. Differential drives of said type are used in motor vehicles in the form of central differentials wherein, as a rule it is desirable to have an uneven torque distribution between the front axle and rear axle. Because of their design, they have a self-inhibiting or partially locking effect which is based on the friction of the tooth heads of the axle shaft gears in their bores. Said locking effect increases as a function of the torque at the differential carrier due to the increase in tooth forces and thus the increase in the respective reaction forces between the differential gears and the axle shaft gears, which reaction forces also determine said friction. The torque distribution between the axle shaft gears may be uneven or even.
The above publication describes a particularly short embodiment which is thus easy and cheap to produce, wherein the axle shaft gears directly axially adjoin one another and wherein the differential gears engage one another in the region of the axle shaft gear with the smaller pitch circle diameter.
It is the object of the invention to simplify even further a differential drive of the type described here. The object is achieved in that the major diameters of both toothed regions of the first differential gears are identical relative to one another and that the first differential gears are supported in bores which extend along the entire length of the differential gears, comprising a constant diameter. In this way, it is possible to simplify considerably the production of the differential carrier of the differential drive in accordance with the invention and especially the operation of machining the bores for the axle shaft gears and differential gears, the latter being the most production-intensive process stage. Because of the stepped bores for the first differential gears with two toothed portions of different major diameters, state of the art differential drives required different tools to be used for the two bore portions, with methods other than those involving drilling or the use of spindles not being suitable. With differential drives according to the invention, production is simplified in that the through-apertures for the first differential gears allow the use of broaching; in any case, it is possible for the entire inner bore to be machined with one single tool during the individual process stages, and the same production method can be used for the apertures of the second differential gears when these are axially supported on the larger axle shaft gear, as is known from the state of the art.
Depending on the size ratios of the effective pitch circles at the axle shaft gears and differential gears, the torque distribution in differentials in accordance with the invention between the axle shaft gears may also be either uneven or even.
A preferred embodiment of the invention will be described below with reference to the drawing wherein.